PM Modi gets UN’s highest environmental honour

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the United Nation’s highest environmental honour during the UNGA on Wednesday for his efforts and plans to make India free of single-use plastic items by 2022.

The United Nations announced the ‘Champions of the Earth Awards’ on Wednesday and PM Narendra Modi was selected as one of the winners of the environmental honour for his “unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022”. French President Emmanuel Macron was also bestowed with same award under the ‘Policy Leadership Category’ for their “pioneering work in championing” the International Solar Alliance and “new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action”.

This is the highest environmental honour given by the United Nations to appreciate efforts made by individuals from public, private and civil service sectors. All these awardees have acted in a way that they have made significant and positive improve environment. For Modi, he has received the award for his pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022, no impacts whatsoever. The awards will be presented to the winders during the Champions of the Earth Gala in New York City, on the side lines of the 73rd UN General Assembly.

The past winners of this prestigious honour include Afroz Shah, who led the world’s largest beach cleanup and won the award in 2016, Rwandan President Paul Kagame also won the same year, while former US Vice-President Al Gore won the award in 2007. Ocean Cleanup CEO Boyan Slat won in 2014, while scientist-explorer Bertrand Piccard, and developer of Google Earth Brian McClendon won the award in 2013.